Trash is one of the most widespread pollution problems threatening our ocean and waterways and it’s entirely preventable. Marine debris is more than an eyesore. It is a threat to marine wildlife and ecosystems; and undermines tourism and economic activity.

Our ocean is stressed from disasters like the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, pollution, overfishing, habitat loss, rising sea temperatures and acidification. Keeping our ocean free from trash is one of the easiest ways we can make the ocean more resilient to these combined threats.

The Cedar Key City Commission started its Sept. 8 workshop with a $40,587 shortfall in next year’s proposed budget. By the end of the meeting they had shaved off all but $10,602 of the deficit.

At the same time, the board avoided cutting city workers’ pay and vacation benefits, while sacrificing their own life and dental insurance coverage. That move alone by the commission saved about $3,700 per year. If a commissioner wants the insurance coverage they will have to pay it out of their own pocket.

The Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual auction at the historic Island Hotel on 2nd Street on Sunday, Sept. 5. The preview of items starts at 12:30 p.m. and the live-auction begins at 1 p.m.

A raffle of more than 40 items will also be held. Tickets for the raffle are $3 each, three for $5 or 15 tickets for $20.

The newly begun Health and Nutrition Community Outreach program in Levy County provided free food, health services and advice to more than 100 people in Cedar Key and Bronson Saturday, according to representatives from the program.

Jan Zak, a volunteer from Gainesville, said the program is a partnering of different agencies and groups providing service to people in mostly rural areas of Levy County. Saturday’s outreach started in Cedar Key at Rosewood Baptist Church and then ended at the Levy County Health Department in Bronson.

Movies in the Park celebrates Labor Day Weekend with a showing of a movie and a Princess, Pirates, and Fairies Party and a showing of an updated classic movie at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Thee 1991 movie is about a Peter Pan who has has grown up to be a cut-throat merger and acquisitions lawyer, and is married to Wendy's granddaughter. Captain Hook kidnaps Peter's children, and Peter returns to Never Land with Tinkerbell. With the help of her and the Lost Boys, he must remember how to be Peter Pan again in order to save his children by battling with Captain Hook once again.

The Levy County Commission has a workable budget on the table, but they are not yet finished with it and the margin for error – handling emergencies — is only $500,000. Deputy Clerk Sheila Rees, who handles county finances, said the budget document drawn up by her, County Coordinator Freddie Moody and Clerk of Courts Danny Shipp uses $4.5 million in reserves to balance the county’s accounts and has only $500,000 to cover emergency expenditures in the $53 million budget. “That’s not a real safe place to be, having reserves of o

Levy County does not have the requisite 100,000 residents to qualify for Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds, but county officials think they could still get the money. The subject of the bonds, funded with federal stimulus bill money, came up during the Board of County Commissioners regular meeting Tuesday. County Coordinator Freddie Moody said the county does not qualify for the $346,000 in economic development bond money and $519,000 in facility bond money designated for Levy County, but by turning the money back to the state it frees the money fro

A deputy on patrol in the area of the the area of the Dawg House bar in Fanning Springs noticed a white 2004 Toyota SUV leave the parking lot onto U.S. Highway 19 where the driver made a U-turn spinning the tires and accelerated to a high rate of speed at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug.